Ovila Abbey Dubbel | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

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A) Nice deep brown with a little ruby hue. A full finger of creamy khaki colored head looks very inviting. Nice retention. The head clings to the glass like a milkshake. Very rich looking...

S) Yeast is the first aroma noted. A very earthy nose, dried grass, straw, a bit of wood. Then some fruit, but not the dark fruit I expected, more like pear and grape. There is some caramel sweetness as this warms.

T) There is quite a bit of flavor here. Roasted malt, spices, not too much pepper at all, which makes me happy. There are those dark fruits. It is as earthy/woody as the nose suggests. There is some alcohol on the backend.

O) For whatever reason, I didn't pull the trigger on purchasing a bomber of this brew, but when I found it in a 12 oz bottle, I snapped it right up. I must say, I'm glad I did, as this was quite enjoyable. A very solid dubbel... Glad to recommend...

The Ovila pours a deep brown color with a sizable but loose (large bubbles) head. Cherry, honey, and champagne are the best descriptors I can find for aroma.

The base flavor is quintessential Belgian/Flemish brown ale (no surprises, but well-executed) with a heavy dose of cherry. Mouthfeel is light but not watery.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
A solid representative of the dubbel style, with a predominant cherry flavor (comparatively speaking...this isn't a fruit beer). By the way, it's worth reading about the history behind the Abbey of New Clairvaux--it's a convoluted and engaging story.

Okay. I like this dubbel. I find it a bit tight and wound up, but it still works how I would expect it to. The characteristics that I expect to find are there, though not as pronounced as I would hope for. The carbonation at first seems way overboard and interfering with the flavor delivery, but it does tone down over time. This one could have a bit more character to it, but for a mass produced dubbel, it's working well enough.

It’s tempting to write pretty much what the bottle says; turns out to be fairly accurate. The nose is mostly musty dark fruit and a vague whiff of bready yeast. More dark fruits and carmelized sugar in the taste with the usual dubbel funky yeast notes. One thing I really liked was the gorgeous slightly cloudy mahogany color of the beer, very nice with backlighting. Enough carbonation and lack of actually syrupy qualities, give this a descent mouthfeel. Really not a unique offering of the style, but a good one.

A: Pours a muddy, semi-translucent brown. Extremely murky with rusty highlights around the edges where the light creeps in. Just about opaque in the center. No real signs of sediment. Quarter-inch of tan head dissipates quickly into a thin patch on top of the beer. Virtually no lacing.

S: Smells like beer. A very rich, sweet, heavy aroma that invites the drinker. Notes of honey and lots of fruit with a real kick from the alcohol. I don’t profess to be an expert on the different strains, but there is something special about the Belgian yeast behind this.

T: Creamy with notes of dried fruit (plums, currants, cherries, raisins, maybe pomegranate), caramel, oak, and a hint of chocolate. Very heavy roasted malts lend a pleasant sweetness that is balanced with a distinct bitterness on the back. The alcohol makes itself known going down. Lots of the flavors you’d expect from a true abbey dubbel but without quite the same level of composition. Almost reminiscent of a barley wine.

MF: Nice body. Full and hearty. Very creamy, but still crisp. Goes down smooth.

D: Quite drinkable, not nearly as heavy as I expected.

Note: I will admit walking into this beer with some pretty serious biases, both good and bad. First, I am very excited about the Abbey of New Clairvaux’ ultimate plans to brew this beer on premises and establish a legitimate, recognized Trappist brewery in the United States. I am rooting for my Catholic countrymen! However, generally speaking, the American “Belgian-style” Abbey Ale is my absolute least favorite variety. I find that proud small and medium-sized breweries, as well as BMC-owned ventures, that attempt to replicate the work of centuries of celibate men all fall flat on their faces. This beer lands somewhere in the middle. Let’s call it a good starting point for a hopeful future.

A - even a careful pour creates a medium tan head thats three quarters of the glass at first, it tames after a minute or two enough to fill the glass properly. The beer is a dark brazil nut brown with crimson highlights and plenty of carbonation

T - maltier than the aroma let on, the dark sweetness alluded to on the bottle is present, the candied sugar and dark fruits, especially currants or plums. The spicy, peppery notes are subdued if there at all

M&D - malty and malty, and sweet and sweet. not a very complex brew. Having the words Sierra Nevada on the bottle got my hopes up a bit and this didn't meet that. It's smooth and easy to drink, just expected a bit more. The "mild hop bitterness" characteristic of this style wasn't there to serve as a balancing factor.

T - Cherries and light spices. A touch of bready yeast and and toffee. The finish is of ripe dark fruits and caramel. Sweet but one dimensional and somewhat bland. Mouth feel is creamy and somewhat chewy.

O - Doesn't hold a flame to the trappist breweries. But I wouldn't expect it to. Its a very solid dubbel, and the fact that its now sold in four packs of 375ml C+C bottles for $12 is pretty amazing.

T/M: Taste delivers caramel sweetness, apples, pears, old mushy bananas, orange preserves, vanilla bean, clove, cherry alcohol, rotted wood and musk. The taste is not as sweet as the nose but more thick malts and earthy notes. The yeast is apparent and brings pepper, stale wheat bread, and hints of rye. Burnt brown sugar, toffee, tad salty and herbal hops on the drying finish. Body is light-medium and a tad watered down for the style but has a slightly chalky feel with nice prickly carbonation.

O: Overall a great dubbel that delivers rich robust flavors and a good mouthfeel. The sweetness is complimented by the spices and herbal notes. The alcohol is hidden well and is easily drinkable. After one glass I was pretty full but eager to drink the rest.

This bottle just looks and feels nice. Popping corks is something I could get used to!! My 12.7 oz let out a satisfying noise and visible vapor which was a bonus sensory treat I didn't expect.

The actual beer? It was ok!!
Poured into my jam jar, the head was fine and tan-ish, dissipating quickly and leaving a great ring of bubbles around the shoulder of the jar. The actual beer is slightly hazy
Woah!! This beer smelled weird to me. The first thought I had was olives. Nah I think it's just a dark fruit smell. I swear though.. you know those brownish kalamata olives with the pits in them.. That's what it smelled like at first. Maybe just some residue in my nose from work.
It tastes like a nice dubbel, nothing like a quebecois or belgian belgian, but nice nonetheless. It hits the tongue sweetly and exits more dryly, which is an inviting characteristic. Special B flavor (raisin and dark fruity) goes along with some roasted malt flavors, chocolatey! Raisinets beer. Cool. A little watery tasting though.
The stuff feels nice, moderate carbonation; smooth feel. Right around half of my sips have felt/tasted (can't really tell which) a bit watery. Maybe this one would actually be improved by a percent or few more shiney shine.
Overall, deeshint. I probably wouldn't give it another whirl, at $2.39 on the sticker for the (albeit corked) 12.7 oz, it was more sophisticated but not preferable to something like a New Belgium Dubbel in overall value terms. I had this bottle as a result of letting my thirsty, post-skatepark session self wild in the local bottle shop, which resulted in the purchase of a $12.50 mixed 6-pack of American, Canadian and Belgian Belgians. Definitely glad I tried it!